This invention relates generally to electrostatic air cleaners and, more particularly to a method and apparatus for installing an electrostatic air cleaner in a residential furnace or air conditioning unit.
It is common to incorporate an electrostatic air cleaner in the return air duct of a blower unit such as one associated with a furnace or an air conditioning system. The air cleaner is a self-contained product that can be installed as part of a new installation or as an accessory to an existing system. In either case, it is customary to mount the air cleaner to the unit at the location where the return air duct comes into the air distribution blower compartment.
Heretofore, it has been common to mount the air cleaner to the unit by the drilling of holes in both the air cleaner framework and in the unit cabinet, and then, while holding the air cleaner up alongside the cabinet wall, inserting fasteners through the aligned holes. It has thus been necessary to provide positive placement, and vertical support for the air cleaner unit while it was being mounted and therefore, a difficult task for an installer working by himself.
Such an electrostatic air cleaner requires electrical power which is commonly obtained from within the unit cabinet. This is accomplished by having the air cleaner coil slideably placed into the air cleaner frame in such a manner as to be "plugged in", and then a power lead which has been wired into the framework, is connected to the power source within the unit cabinet. Since the power lead was attached to the air cleaner framework, which in turn was adapted for fitting against the cabinet wall, it was necessary to drill or otherwise form a hole through the cabinet wall in order to facilitate the insertion of the power lead into the unit cabinet.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for installing an air cleaner unit in a furnace/air conditioning system.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision for mounting an electrostatic air cleaner to a blower unit without the installer having to provide vertical support therefor during the installation process.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision for electrically connecting an electrostatic air cleaner to a unit without having to form a special hole in the cabinet wall for that purpose.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision for mounting an electrostatic air cleaner to a unit in an economical, efficient and effective manner.
These objects and other features and advantages become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.